Actien-gesellschaft nttrnberg



No. 925,902. Y

A. mEPPEL.

SUSPENSION BRIDGE.

(Application led Nov. 8, 1898.)

hunted May so, 1999.

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Patented May 30, |399.

L ;Zm'heeis-Sheet 2.

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SUSPENSION Bl'aIDGl-Z':`

V(Application led Nov. 8, 1898.\

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ATON RIEFPEL, OF NUREMBERG, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR T O MASOHINENBAU- ACTIEN-GESELLSCHAFT NRNBERG, OF SAME PLACE.

'SUSPENSION-BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 625,902, dated Mayso, 189e. Application iiled November 8, 1898. Serial No. 695,820. (No model.)

To cr/ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ANTON RIEPPEL, a subject of the King of Bavaria, residing at Nuremberg, Bavaria, German Empire, have in- Vented certain new and useful Improvements in Suspension-Bridges, of which the following is a specification.

In large cable-bridges the suspension-cables were mostly made .on the spot of separate 1o wires or strands. Apart from the fact that this work required a very great deal of time the action of the weather had to be taken into consideration during the construction, whereby the eXactness of the work is unfavorably aected. Efforts have therefore been made for some time to form the cables for large bridges of separate small cables or pieces of cable each ofv which is separately portable. Such an arrangement is shown in the accomzo panying drawings, in which- Figure 7 is a cross-section of a cable composed of a number of small cables 7.a, which, usually parallel to and suitably grouped as closely as possible around a larger cable K, are

z5 combined to form a single strong cable and bound together with suitable sockets or straps. Of course in this arrangement vacant spaces fr remain between the separate cables, which may be filled up by pouringinto them a suitable material, but which must always be regarded as a drawback. Anotherdrawback consists in that the attachment sockets or loops which effect the suspension of the bridgeway on the combined cables only come 3 5 in contact with the cable at single points of its periphery, so that the absolutely necessary resistance against displacement of the loops in consequence of the difference in the tension of the strands before and behind said independently. of one another and only subsequently connected or combined in some suitable manner. M yimprovement consists in suitably'suspending the separate ropes 55 and connecting or combining them by special devices in such a way that they act reliably as a single suspension device. For this pur pose each of the ropes is provided at both ends with an anchor-head and fixed by means 6o of anchor-supports independently of the others in such a way that its adjustment up to a clearly-determined tension may be effected. The ropes are supported over the pyramids of the center piers by means of suitablyrounded saddles.

In the accompanying drawings I have shown a form of bridge embodying my invention as a whole and in detail and alsol an illustration of the construction of cables formerly 7o employed.

In the drawings,'Fig. 1 is a side View of a bridge embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is p a side view of the preferred -form of saddle.

Fig. 3 is al transverse upright section through 75 the saddle shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4. is a vertical section through a system of live series of cables, each series consisting of four superposed cables, and the means for connecting and attaching the cables. Fig. 5 is a side 8o View of the construction shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of four cables combined in a group. Fig. 7, as before stated, shows the old modeof construction. Fig. 8 shows a modified arrangement and grouping of the cables and the device for connecting and attaching the cables, and Fig. 9 is a side View` of Fig. 8.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5 live vertical rows of cables ct b c d e are 9o employed, each consisting of four superposed cables l, which, with a view to their manifold suspension, are carried over the piers by saddles f, g, h, and t' and anchored at the ends. These cables, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, are 95 so interconnected and held at a certain distance apart that the suspension-rods or suspenders H, lwhich carry the bridgeway, distribute the strains whicharise evenly over all twenty cables in such a way as to yield roo an entirely central strain on the cables, but no side ones. In order to attain this, the

After a closing-piece 4 has been inserted in said gap all four cables Z are so pressed under high pressure between the upper bend of the loop 3 and the closing-piece 4 that when the closing-piece has been secured by means of screws or in any other suitable manner the blocks 2 and loop 3 cannot slip along the ca-v bles Z. The cables are pressed into the loop 3 by lneans of hydraulic power or screwpresses, using a lever mechanism of any suitable kind. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, any suitable number of groups of cables put together in the manner just described or at different heights, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, (hereinafter described,) may be placed at the suspension place for the bridgewayand in the first-named I'orm of construction, Figs. 6, 4, and 5, connected together by bolts 5, intended for the suspension by means of bands 6. For this object the two arms of each flat iron loop are strengthened or thickened in the center and provided with suitable bolt-holes for the bolts 5. In theform of construction shown in Figs. S and 9 instead of a single bolt 5 five are employed, while the number of cables remains the same.

The suspension of the bridgeway obtained in the manner hereinbefore described is anl absolutely reliable one, because the clamping in of each separate cable or rope of a group always takes place with equal exactitude and care, so that in the present case, for instance,

the frictional resistance to slipping down of the bridge suspension will be twenty-fold the amount of that which is to be expected with a single strong-cable of the same weight-carrying capacity and under the most favorable conditions.

The transfer of the strain from the suspension-rods II to the cables or ropes takes place by means of the bands 6 by the intermediary of the bolts 5, so that each separate group of ropes a Z) c d e bears the same load in their central plane. Consequently the strain on each cable or rope is equally great and central.

The construction of the pyramid-supports for the central piers, where the hereinbeforedescribed grouping of the cables or ropes is employed, is evident from Figs. 2 and 3.

The lowermost horizontal row of cables rests on a curved saddle z', which saddle is in turn carried by a sliding mount P. This row of cables is covered by a second saddle 7L, with spaces for play of the cablesto allow of their being drawn through when required to be changed, and this second saddle h has grooves on its convexside for the second row of cables. Two further saddles g and f complete the pyramid-support. In order to cause the separate saddles in their total expansion to rest with their curved surfaces in contact at l, fm, and n, they are slotted radially at certain places .a for insuringV thereby a certain flexibility.

The construction hereinbefore described has also the advantage that each separate rope or cable may be separately changed without the necessity of staying or supporting the bridge, it being only necessary to remove one vertical row in which the cable to be replaced is included by unfastening the fastening-piece 4. During the period that one vertical row of cables is removed care must be taken to suitably reduce the load on the bridge. The openingsin the saddles-over the piers for supporting the cables are, as already incidentally mentioned, somewhat larger than the thickness of the cables in order that the cables may be easily drawn through the same when being changed.

I-Iaving now particularly described and ascertained the nature ofthe said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I .claim is l. A means for suspending the bridgeway of a suspension-bridge comprising a series of independent anchored cables lying in a vertical plane and means for gripping the said cables and holding them spaced apart in a group and flexible connections of said gripping device with the suspender whereby the strains on the said cables may be equally distributed thereto.

2. A means for suspending the bridgeway of suspension-brid ges such as described, comprising a number of-cables lying in a vertical plane and means for holding the same together comprising a frame containing spacing devices or intermediate pieces 2, the parts being placed. together and retained in position under pressure and one or more bolts for pivotally connecting suspension devices H of the bridgeway'to the said cable system.

3. A pyramid support for suspensionbridges such asdescribed, characterized by the separate rows of cables or -ropes lying in proximity to one another being supported by suitable saddles f g h i provided with grooves and formed to the curves of the cables, which saddles are arranged one upon the other and brought into mutual inner Contact by means of radial slits e and as a whole may be mounted rigidly or slidingly, substantially as hereinbefore described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence ot two witnesses.

ANTON MEPPEL.

Witnesses:

ANDREAS SLIDY, OsoAn BooK.

IOO

IIO 

